Festival History

[dropcap size=”225%” bgcolor=”theme”]T[/dropcap]hey say that the distance between two people is a smile, but between two cultures? Perhaps this is the line that bonds movies in the big screen, and from here the possibilities multiply: a long relationship with Latin America, different European feature films, documentaries, cult directors. And the lastest in technology to give life to one of the oldest short film festivals in Spain. Without doubt, to know our history one has to have lived it; nevertheless, we hope that this brief chronological history will help you know the festival a little better while you prepare your suitcase for the next month of June.

Historical:

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[tab title=”1970s”]

[toggle title=”1973″]

The Festival is born within the Peña Recreativa Zoiti and its film club.

The first short film screened was Nehvizdat, prosim, by Ivan Urban (Czechoslovakia).

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[toggle title=”1975″]

Becomes an international Festival. The first short film to receive the Gold Danzante Award is El arte del Pueblo by Oscar Valdés (Cuba).

Inaugural section Cine para Niños, which remains to this day.

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[toggle title=”1976″]

Creation of the Specialised Critics Award, with no monetary endowment for the award.

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[toggle title=”1977″]

First Aragonese short film in competition: El otro Luis by Alejo Lorén.

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[toggle title=”1978″]

The Festival becomes an independent entity from the Peña Recreativa Zoiti which created it and becomes a national association under the name of Asociación Cultural Certamen Internacional de Films Cortos Ciudad de Huesca, being its own legal entity.

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[toggle title=”1979″]

The Festival reorganises its contests and its trophies are thus created: Gold, Silver and Bronze Danzante, and the Audiende Award.

The Festival now includes restrospective, informative and tribute sections.

Creation of the Jinete Ibérico Award, conceded by the the Instituto de Estudios Altoaragoneses, with monetary endowment, for the best Spanish speaking film. Nowdays, it is awarded to the best first work.

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Presentation by Alberto Sánchez (1973)

All The Children to the Festival (1975)

International Meeting (1976)

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[tab title=”1980s”]

[toggle title=”1983″]

Creation of the Federación Aragonesa de Cine Clubs, replacing the old committee in the Confederación de Cine Clubs of the Spanish State.

A square is named in honour of Luis Buñuel, and the Festival remembers him with a monolith by Javier Sauras, symbol of the tribute held that year for his death.

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[toggle title=”1985″]

Creation of the first festival newspaper, under the direction of Francisco García de Paso. He was editor for various editions as well as a great contributor to the Festival.

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[toggle title=”1987″]

Creation of the feature film section Muestra de Cine de las Comunidades Europeas which later becomes Muestra de Cine Europeo (Showcase of European Cinema).

For our contribution to European film integration, the Festival is awarded the European Parliament Medal.

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[toggle title=”1989″]

The Una vida de Cine Award is created. It is inaugurated by Julio Alejandro (scriptwriter born in Huesca) and Fernando Colomo (director).

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Monument of the Festival
to Luis Buñuel (1983)

First Festival’s newspaper (1985)

Award Una Vida de Cine.
Julio Alejandro (1989)

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[tab title=”1990s”]

[toggle title=”1991″]

Creation of the Award Ciudad de Huesca (City of Huesca Award). Carlos Saura, born in Huesca, is the first in receiving this award.

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[toggle title=”1994″]

Creation of the Cacho Pallero Award, conceded by the then named Instituto de Cooperación Iberoamericana and nowdays known as the Agencia de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID).

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[toggle title=”1995″]

Holds the XXV Conferencia Internacional del Cortometraje (XXV Interntional Short Film Contest). Previously held in Barcelona (1979) an Bilbao (1984).

Along with the Festival de Valladolid and another 8 European festivals, The European Coordinator of Film Festivals is created. It consisted of over 250 representatives from film and audiovisual festivals from 25 countries of the European Union.

This year also sees the creation of the section El inicio: las Escuelas (The Beginning: Film Schools). Dedicated to the showcase of Film Schools.

Creation of the Francisco García de Paso Award, to the film that best emphasises human values.

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[toggle title=”1996″]

During the Festival there is a meeting of the European Coordinator of Film Festivals. The Bulletin 0 is published in both Spanish and English.

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[toggle title=”1997″]

Creation of the program Europa en Cortos by the European Coordinator of Film Festivals. This was to be a test program which would later be held annually.

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[toggle title=”1998″]

As a result of the huge amount of entries from Spain and Latin American countries, the Iberoamerican Contest is created, with its own jury and awards. It becomes a contest in its own right, separating it from the International Contest which until now was the one being held.

Creation of the Award Luis Buñuel (Luis Buñuel Award), with José Luis Borau, the first in receiving it.

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[toggle title=”1999″]

First Meeting of Iberoamerican Short Filmmakers within the Parallel Sections program. Consolidating itself in the following editions.

Creation of the Award de la Juventud (Youth Award), with monetary endowment and its own jury formed by university students, and sponsored by the Fundación Anselmo Pié. This year it consisted of 24 photography and graphic design students from the Escuela de Arte de Huesca.

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[toggle title=”2001″]

Creation of the section No se quedan cortos (They Don’t Get Short).

Death of Fernando Moreno Visuales on 22nd March, “godfather” of the festival and who boosted the festival since its second edition and forming part of its Board of Directors. In his memory, a book collection, on works and studies on Spanish cinema, carrying his name was created. Various editions have since been published.

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[toggle title=”2002″]

Creation of the Award Ciudad de Huesca del Cortometraje (City of Huesca Short Film Award). The first to receive this award is Pavel Koustký (Poland).

Creation of the section titled Cine y Gastronomía (Cinema and Gastronomy), which includes the screening of a film and dinner at a restaurant in the city of Huesca.

Creation of the Concurso Internacional de Relatos de Cine (International Cinema Short Story Contest), sponsored by the Fundación Anselmo Pie.

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[toggle title=”2003″]

Beginning of the section Retrospectiva (Restrospective) on classic feature films that in 2008 would become known as Ventana Clásica (Classic Window).

As of this edition, the Critics Award will be known as the Award José Manuel Porquet de la Critica.

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[toggle title=”2004″]

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences considers our Festival as a qualifying festival for its live action and animated short films for the Oscars.

The Silver and Bronze Danzante awards are now replaced by just one Danzante Award per contest, combining the monetary endowment of each previous award into one. The remaining awards are maintained.

Creation of the Aragonese Short Film Contest and the Award Los Olvidados (Los Olvidados Award), established by the Gobierno de Aragón and endowed with a studies grant in coordination with the Festival de Cine de Fuentes de Ebro.

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[toggle title=”2005″]

Creation of the Fundación Festival de Cine de Huesca (Huesca Film Festival Foundation).

The Youth Jury becomes part of the International Contest and its members reduced to five, two of them from Spain.

End of the European Coordinator of European Film Festivals and with it the end of the program Europa en Cortos.

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[toggle title=”2006″]

Creation of the European Documentary Contest, with its own jury, Danzante Award and monetary endowment.

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[toggle title=”2007″]

Collaboration agreement signed between the Huesca Film Festival, Universidad de Zaragoza and Diario del Altoaragón. This consolidates the program established the previous year, Miradas al Séptimo Arte, which continues in the following years and also with the contribution of the Instituto de Estudios Altoaragoneses.

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[toggle title=”2008″]

March 29th, death of José María Escriche Otal, founder of the Huesca International Film Festival.

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[toggle title=”2009″]

The Academia de Cine de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España, through our awarded short films, selects our Festival as a preselection candidate.

The Aragonese Short Film Contest is replaced by the Showcase of Aragonese Cinema, screening the Aragonese short films awarded for that year at the different festivals in Aragón.

Death of Fernando Moreno (2001)

Cinema and Gastronomy (2002)

Collaboration agreement. Miradas al Séptimo Arte (2007)

Children Workshop (2007)

Death of Pepe Escriche (2008)

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[tab title=”2010s”]

[toggle title=”2010″]

The European Documentary Contest is now replaced by two contests, Iberoamerican Documentary Short Film Contest and the International Documentary Short Film Contest, with a duration of 40 minutes and in video and film formats. Each contest has its own jury and Danzante award with monetary endowment.

Jurors are reduced from five to three in each of the four contests.

Creation of the cocktail Albertoni for the Cinema and Gastronomy section, in memory of Alberto Sánchez, its founder, who sadly passed away in 2009.

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[toggle title=”2011″]

Is implemented for the four competitions this year and following, as approved last year to admit the short films in film and digital support.

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[toggle title=”2012″]

Montse Guiu, patron of the Foundation, became director of the festival.

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[toggle title=”2013″]

The festival keeps quality of the competition overcome the cuts resulting from the economic crisis.

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[toggle title=”2014″]

A new management team, led by Jesús Bosque, the festival takes over to start the transition to a new organizational model.

To Hans Richter, within a restrospective of german cinema in its day provided by the Deutches Institut für Filmkunde of Wiesbaden and Walt Disney (USA) (1976); short films of the nouvelle vague and Larry Semon (1977); Cinema of the Republic of Weimar (1977); Revolutionary Chilean Cinema (1978); Short Films with Oscars by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (1980), experimental works from Germany, France and Poland; documentaries on the Nazi extermination camps (1979); short films by Walerian Borowczyk Militant Iberoamerican Cinema (1982); Creación y desaparición de “NO-DO” (1982); Cine documental canadiense (1983), La guerra civil española (The Spanish Civil War) produced by Granada TV. (R.U.) (1985).